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++ Grand kayak tour to save the Balkan Rivers starts today ++Today, about 150 paddler are opening the Balkan Rivers Tour on the Sava river in Slovenia. Led by former Slovenian Olympic athlete Rok Rozman, kayakers from all over Europe will paddle the most stunning and most threatened rivers in the Balkans over the next 35 days. This is without par in Europe. With this tour, they are taking a clear stance against the imminent dam tsunami.

Tirana, Vienna, Radolfzell, April 15, 2016 Today, the European Parliament criticized the Albanian government for the planning of hydropower projects and called upon them to be more considerate of protected areas and other sensitive nature areas, especially national parks. In the current Enlargement Report that was adopted by the parliament in Brussel yesterday, the Vjosa river is specifically mentioned.

We are happy to invite you to the opening event of an unusual international protest action: the opening event of the BALKAN RIVERS TOUR, April 16th 10:00 to 12:00, Bohinj Lake, Slovenia. For the first time, a group of kayakers from all over Europe will paddle rivers from Slovenia to Albania. With this tour they want to protest against the dam tsunami that is threatening Balkan rivers and to raise awareness about their beauty.

We would like to invite to you to a very unusual protest action: led by former Slovenian Olympic athlete Rok Rozman, kayakers from all over Europe will paddle the most stunning Balkan rivers betweenApril 16 and May 20. The so-called “Balkan Rivers Tour” is an activity against the dam tsunami which is threatening to destroy the unique river landscape on the Balkan Peninsula.

Europe’s biggest hydropower corporation, the Austrian Verbund AG, is complaining about too much electricity on the European market. Verbund Chairman Anzengruber says: “It is not the time for extensive new projects in the power plant sector over the next few years. That would not be clever in a time with too much energy”

Another Albanian river at risk: the beautiful Valbona river is facing the construction of several planned hydropower plants along its course, not stopping at national parks and other strictly protected area - as so often the case. Local communities are protesting and need your help: please sign and share the petition addressed to Prime Minister Edi Rama!

For all river lovers: Between January 22 and 24, the first “River Film Festival Berlin” takes place in the Moviemento Cinema in the Kreuzberg district. Look forward to over 30 movies featuring breathtaking river landscapes as well as discussion forums with environmental activists who fight for the preservation of these valuable habitats. Dive in and discover the wonderful world of rivers!

On January 22, the documentary “The Vjosa Story” by our river ambassadors from Leeway Collective will be screened in Tirana, Albania. It is an incredible documentary about kayaking the Vjosa - one of the last wild rivers in Europe - from its source in Greece to its mouth into the Adriatic Sea in Albania. Don’t miss this opportunity to watch this amazing film on a big screen!